Method for the display of standardised large-format internet pages with for exanple html protocol on hand-held devices a mobile radio connection

ABSTRACT

A method for the display of standardised internet pages (for example, in HTML or XML standard), generated for display on large-size screens, on a small display on hand-held devices (mini-computer, PDA or mobile radio device) is disclosed, in which the hand-held device can be provided with a mobile radio connection to the internet. A virtual large image memory is thus maintained in the device. Within the large virtual image the device display can be freely displaced as a readable image section. A zoom function permits an overview and coarse positioning of the detailed representation. The detailed representation can be continuously moved around within the virtual image in the form of a screen section by means of a pointer device (mouse pointer) by moving the mouse pointer to the display edge (and beyond). Switching can be performed at any time between the display modes.

[0001] The invention relates to a method for displaying standardizedInternet pages, for example using HTML protocol in handheld terminalswith mobile radio access in accordance with the precharacterizing partof Patent claim 1.

[0002] The Internet is today a popular means of communication with usernumbers which are rising exponentially. One of the most importantapplications on the Internet is the World Wide Web (WWW), which isoperated on the basis of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) (recently alsoXML—a protocol extension), see Lit. 1, pp. 650 ff. The domestic orcompany personal computer (PC) is used as an access unit in thiscontext. It is operated with an Internet browser (for example MicrosoftExplorer or Netscape Navigator) and, when required, access software forInternet access (using an Internet Service Provider), which provides the“client application”. The remote station is a server or host computer onthe Internet which provides the desired information via HTML pages. TheHTML protocol is transmitted using TCP/IP protocol as means oftransport. All protocols have been standardized by the IETF (InternetEngineering Task Force WWW.IETF.ORG) and are constantly being extended.

[0003] As a result of ergonomic sensitization and falling prices on theappliances market, it is now possible to regard a 17-inch PC monitorwith a resolution of 1024×768 pixels as standard.

[0004] These visual display units can display HTML pages excellently.Since it is not usual to pay for information on the Internet to date,the service providers make a living primarily from advertising revenue.Advertisements pop up as colorful still or moving images on the HTMLpages, with use being made of the large-area monitor.

[0005] On the other hand, digital packet-oriented transmission servicesare currently being introduced in the mobile radio sector (GSM-GPRS, orfuture UMTS). These services allow TCP/IP protocols to be transmittedand allow rapid Internet access (Lit. 2, page 15, Mit Tempo ins Netz[Speeding into the Network]). If a notebook or a PC with an ergonomicscreen connected to the mobile radio (mobile phone) is not currentlybeing used, but rather the display on the mobile terminal itself isbeing used as a visual display unit, considerable problems arise,however.

[0006] Apart from the fact that the technical opportunities fordisplaying HTML pages on the unit's display do not yet exist, unsolvablevisual problems arise. The information displayed would simply be toosmall for it to be able to be read by the human eye. The human eye isphysiologically no longer able to resolve the dense content of a screenwith a 40 cm diagonal following a reduction to a format with a 3-6 cmdiagonal, i.e. it is generally no longer possible to read such a page.

[0007] However, this means that the entire worldwide stock of Internetpages cannot be used for mobile operation with handheld terminals, suchas mobile phones or PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant)!

[0008] This was identified in good time, which means that the industrydevised a remedy. New protocols, such as WML (Wireless Markup Language)or WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) are being standardized. Lit. 2(pp. 18 ff, WAP Report) gives an overview of the available services andthe depiction quality of the displays. The basic method for wirelessservices is based on displaying reduced clearly readable information onthe displays.

[0009] A drawback of the practice, however, is that the entire stock ofHTML pages on the Internet cannot be used for this method and WAP pagesneed to be recreated and maintained separately.

[0010] The present invention is based on the object of proposing amethod on the basis of which conventional standardized Internet pages,for example based on HTML or XML protocol, can be displayed usingsmall-format handheld terminals (for example mobile phone or personaldigital assistant PDA) with small-format displays.

[0011] This object is achieved by the characterizing features of Patentclaim 1.

[0012] The invention is explained with reference to figures of thedrawing which in this case show just one possible embodiment using theexample of a schematically depicted unit.

[0013]FIG. 1 shows an arbitrary Internet page with a browser window byway of example. The browser window is important so that the settings canbe seen and the “address” field can be used to input the “URL” fornavigating on the Internet.

[0014]FIG. 2 shows the result when this Internet page is shrunk to arealistic display format. In this case, the terminal size in thedepiction corresponds roughly to the actual size of a mobile radio, andthe display is already shown very large. It is no longer possible toread anything in this case.

[0015]FIG. 3 shows the practice in line with the invention. The HTMLpage customary on the Internet, optionally with a browser field, is usedfor display.

[0016] In this case, the information shown is reduced to a degree whichcan still be read (3.1) and is displayed in portions (3.3) on thedisplay of the mobile radio (3.2). This method can be used both for HTMLpages where one page fills a larger screen and for those which exceedthe scope of display of larger screens and are usually transported overthe available screen using a scrollbar control at the side (in the caseof the usual browsers from Microsoft and Netscape).

[0017] A fundamental requirement for the acceptance and hence for thecommercial success of such a solution is ergonomic control(operation/navigation) of the displayed content on the display.

[0018] This is implemented in the following manner.

[0019] The initial basis for the explanation is full reduction of theHTML page to the existing display format. This representation serves asan overview for coarse identification of the location in question withthe desired information. A pointer instrument (comparable to the mousepointer on a PC) is moved to the position in question, e.g. using apositioning key (3.4), by means of voice control or by means of either astylus or a finger on a touch-sensitive display. A zoom key (3.5) isthen pressed in order to change over to an enlarged display. This can bedone continuously or in at least two stages (large/small). Optionally,this function can also be triggered by a sensitive display. The resultof this enlargement can be seen in FIG. 3.3. Pressing a key againswitches back to the reduced display, after which a new selection can bemade.

[0020] In addition, when the display is enlarged, the area shown can bechosen as desired as a portion of a virtual larger screen byrepositioning the pointer function, in which case the image portion isshifted, preferably continuously, over the virtual image when thepointer instrument hits one of the display edges. There are thus twoalternative methods available for conveniently navigating the smalldisplayed content on the display within a larger virtual image. The keysused can be engaged repeatedly for other functions. In addition, the twotactile elements used for the display control should be arranged on thefront, side or back of the unit such that they can be controlled withone hand without changing the grip position. The technicalimplementation involves two image stores being provided. A large imagestore stores the virtual representation. In this case, the current imageportion is copied to the smaller image store, which is used as a bufferstore for the display. In an alternative form, part of the large imagestore is used as a display memory by virtue of the memory areas whichare relevant to the respective displayed content on the display beingused as memory addresses (pixel vectors) for the displayed content onthe display. This embodiment saves memory space and, in particular,copying time. The reduced full display, and different enlargements,stipulate a second image store for the displayed content on the display,however, with the displayed content on the virtual image being reducedto the smaller measure by means of computer conversion (or removal ofpixels). The remaining virtual image store ensures that it is alwayspossible to revert to a larger representation without losing imageinformation through prior reduction.

[0021]FIG. 3 shows just the control elements which are required in anappropriate sense for controlling the display. To give a better view,the keys are shown on the top of the housing, merely by way of example.Other control elements for functions of the unit are not shown, sincethey are not fundamental within the context of the invention.

[0022]FIGS. 4 and 5 show the same circumstances for a PDA (usual unitformat).

LITERATURE

[0023] Lit. 1 Dr. Sidnie Feit, TCP/IP, McGraw-Hill USA 1999, ISBN0-07-022069-7

[0024] Lit. 2 Connect Heft 18, 24.08.2000.

FIGURES

[0025]FIG. 1: Internet page as example of an HTML page

[0026]FIG. 2: Reduced representation on a small display (mobile radio)

[0027]FIG. 3: Readable representation on a small display with a virtualscreen

[0028]FIG. 4: Reduced representation on a small display (PDA)

[0029]FIG. 5: Readable representation on a small display with a virtualscreen

1. A method for displaying standardized Internet pages, which have beencreated for display on large-area screens (for example using HTML or XMLprotocol), on small displays on handheld terminals (handheld devices HD,such as mobile radios or PDAs), characterized in that the handhelddevice (HD) manages a relatively large screen display, going beyond thedisplay resources of the handheld device (HD), both electronically(display memory) and in tactile form, within which screen display arespective clearly readable portion of the full image can be selected bythe user by means of tactile or voice control and can be displayed onthe unit's small display as an image portion of a virtual larger image.2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the handhelddevice (HD) has two screen memories, with a smaller screen memory beingused as a buffer store for the display (display buffer DB) and a largerscreen memory being used to hold the large-format (virtual) full image(virtual screen VS), the content of the display buffer (DB) beingascertained by means of a copy function from the virtual screen (VS) orby means of mathematical or combinational logic functions (zoomfunction).
 3. The method as claimed in claim 2, characterized in thatwhen displaying portions without reducing the displayed content, copyingthe current display area from virtual screen (VS) to the display buffer(DB) is dispensed with if, by way of replacement, the display buffer'smemory positions are used within the virtual screen (VS) as a storagelocation vector for the display electronics.
 4. The method as claimed inat least one of claims 1-3, characterized in that a pointer device(mouse pointer or the like) is positioned as a selection criterion forthe center of an area which is to be enlarged on the reduced displayedcontent of the VS (the Internet page) using a stylus or finger on atouch-sensitive screen on the handheld device (HD display), using atactile multicoordinate function or using voice input, after which thereis subsequent enlargement to a readable enlarged format, or optionallythe continuous enlargement by releasing the positioning function, byvoice input or by additional pressing of keys.
 5. The method as claimedin at least one of claims 1-4, characterized in that switching to andfro and repeated positioning and selection within the reduced displayedcontent can be combined as desired.
 6. The method as claimed in at leastone of claims 1-5, characterized in that optional, preferably continuousshifting of the portioned displayed content on the screen on thehandheld device (HD display) within the virtual screen (VS) can beeffected by virtue of the pointer device being moved to a page margin onthe screen of the handheld device (HD display). Instead of furthershifting beyond the margin, the portion window is shifted to the samedegree within the virtual larger image.
 7. The method as claimed in atleast one of claims 1-6, characterized in that a preferred form of thedisplay control is provided by means of two tactile elements, where apositioning key (3.5) allows the pointer device to be freely positionedon the screen of the handheld device (HD display) while a zoom key (3.4)is used to enlarge or reduce the selected areas, where the two controlelements are preferably arranged ergonomically on the housing such thatit is possible to control both keys without changing the respective gripposition. This is possible, by way of example, as a result of thepositioning key being arranged on the front for the purpose of thumbcontrol and the zoom key being arranged on the back for middle-fingercontrol.
 8. The method as claimed in at least one of claims 1-7,characterized in that the tactile elements for the display control areengaged repeatedly, if required, for other functions of the unit, whichare provided by means of software.